The Witness

Daughter of a cold, controlling mother and an anonymous donor, studious, obedient Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking too much at a nightclub and allowing a strange man’s seductive Russian accent to lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever. Twelve years later, the woman now known as Abigail Lowery lives alone on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she works at home designing sophisticated security systems.

I've never been a big Nora Roberts fan but this book has changed my mind. It kept my attention and was entertaining. The narrator did a really good job, too... One of the best narrations I've heard on Audible.

Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed

Michelle was a young single mother when she was kidnapped by a local school bus driver named Ariel Castro. For more than a decade afterward, she endured unimaginable torture at the hand of her abductor. In 2003 Amanda Berry joined her in captivity, followed by Gina DeJesus in 2004. Their escape on May 6, 2013, made headlines around the world.

I'm so sorry Ms Knight that you went through this... Horrible man, terrible what he put these woman through... Well written, you'll get a good idea of what really happened.. But it's more than just the story of those years she was being held a prisoner by that man in Cleveland. She starts out talking about her life and the events that happened before the kidnapping.. Worth the listen, but only if you can stomach what sicko's are capable of. What I took from this is, NEVER be afraid to call the authorities if you see anything that just doesn't seem right.. Better safe than sorry... you may be saving some ones life..

There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me

Brooke Shields never had what anyone would consider an ordinary life. She was raised by her Newark-tough single mom, Teri, a woman who loved the world of show business and was often a media sensation all by herself. Brooke's iconic modeling career began by chance when she was only 11 months old, and Teri's skills as both Brooke's mother and manager were formidable. But in private she was troubled and drinking heavily.

I had heard years ago that Brooke Sheilds had fired her mother as her manager and that her mom was the typical show biz mother... It was interesting to read Brooke's side of it and how she saw her mother.. They had a loving, yet very difficult relationship, mostly because of her mom's drinking.. I can relate to many of the conflicts she faced, as my mom is also very difficult.. Brooke's mother eventually developed dementia.. I can also relate to that, as both of my parents have different forms of the disease.. My heart broke for her in many parts of the book. It's well written and very well performed.. She sounds like your typical bossy only/oldest child at times, and I'm sure her mom probably very much resented a child telling her what to do.. and there's a little air of entitlement here and there that kind of turned me off... For that I took off one star, but overall, interesting story.

Appointments with Heaven: The True Story of a Country Doctor's Healing Encounters with the Hereafter

When a patient first asked Dr. Reggie Anderson to sit at her bedside as she passed from this life, something miraculous happened. As he held her hand, the veil between this world and the next parted…and he received an astonishing glimpse of what awaits us in heaven. Little did he know this was just a foretaste of what was to come - a lifetime of God-given "appointments with heaven." Join Reggie as he shares remarkable stories from his life and practice, including the personal tragedy that nearly drove him away from faith forever.

The book is misleading.. I expected stories about near death experiences as seen by a physician, but this book is about Reggie Andersons personal life, from childhood to present, about falling in love with his now wife, about how his religious beliefs have helped him in every aspect of his life. It's basically a book on Christian belief. I tried to listen to it off and on for almost a year and finally gave up, as it does not have any content I expected from the title and description. Although Reggie seems like a very kind and nice man, and his story is written with humor and love, it just isn't about what I thought it was.. He's very clearly a man with strong Christian conviction, so if you enjoy reading about that, you'll enjoy his story.. If you are hoping to read about patients who had near death experiences or were healed after encounters with the hereafter, you just won't find that in this book. Disappointing...

The Reunion: A Novel

Aaron Miller knows a thing or two about loss. He’s lost love. Dignity. Second, and even third, chances. Once honored for his heroism, he now lives in near obscurity, working as a handyman in a humble trailer park. But God is a master at finding and redeeming the lost things of life. Unbeknownst to Aaron, someone is searching for him. With deep insight into the human heart, consummate storyteller Dan Walsh gently weaves a tale of a life spent in the shadows but meant for the light. Through tense scenes of war and tender moments of romance, The Reunion will make you believe that everyone can get a second chance at life and love.

I listen to audio books while I work, and I found myself excited to get to work so I could pick up where I left off on this one. It's a great story of vietnam vets and what happened to them during the war, and after the war. The war was coming to an end the year I graduated from high school, so I didn't have any fellow students who went to war, however, I do remember older kids who went, and know of some that came home badly damaged. This story is loosely based on a couple of hero's that came home damaged. I did find the story very interesting and liked the way everyone was connected in one way or other, however, there are Christian messages spewn throughout the story, and I wasn't very happy with that. I'm a spiritual person but do not agree with many of the Christian beliefs, so I was a little taken aback by a story that is not described as having a Christian message.. If the book had spoken of God and prayer, that would be great, but to throw in the Christian message of salvation was not so delightful. I personally don't enjoy people who feel the need to "save" everyone by demanding, ever so kindly, that you believe what they do or you're headed right for hell, and this book did carry that theme somewhat. That was the only disappointing part of the book...And I will undoubtedly receive some marks for my review not being helpful because I dared to state I didn't enjoy the Christian message. And that is exactly what I'm talking about when I say I don't enjoy people who, ever so kindly, demand you believe like they do or you are wrong...

Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story: What They Teach Us About Living and Dying and Our True Purpose

Real-life stories of out-of-body experiences, encountering a special light, greeters from the afterlife, life reviews, tunnels, and 360-degree vision - are all part of this intriguing look at near-death experiences (NDEs) by one of the world's noted authorities, P.M.H. Atwater. Atwater shares her amazing findings, based on her sessions with more than 4,000 adults and children, and over 40 years of research; a breathtaking culmination to a successful and controversial career.

I very much enjoy books on NDE and have enjoyed listening to some of the best of them.. This one, however, I didn't find that interesting.. It's written like a text book, half the time I realized my mind had wandered elsewhere because so much of it was just so very uninteresting.. There are interesting parts here and there, but I'd much rather listen to accounts of NDE as told by the person, not having someone tell a very short Readers Digest account of someone else's experience, then dissect it in her own opinion... Just wasn't that interesting..

Glimpsing Heaven: The Stories and Science of Life after Death

If you caught a glimpse of heaven, would you choose to comeback to life?

Investigative journalist Judy Bachrach has collected accounts of those who died and then returned to life with lucid, vivid memories of what occurred while they were dead, and the conclusions are astonishing. Clinical death - the moment when the heart stops beating and brain stem activity ceases - is not necessarily the end of consciousness, as a number of doctors are now beginning to concede.

I'm fascinated by the NDE. This book is written by someone who was very skeptical about the whole idea, but went to work in a Hospice, which started her on this journey of trying to find answers.. Also, her mother had dementia, and I assume she needed to be assured that there was something better waiting for her mom.. My parents both suffer from different forms of dementia, so I would guess that attracted me to this particular book. It's well worth the listen (or read).. Lots of fascinating stories as well as theories from professionals, both pro and con.. I've listen and read a number of NDE books.. some were just a little too religious for my taste, while others just felt true.. This is one of those true ones..

An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny

In the tradition of the New York Times best-seller The Blind Side, The Invisible Thread tells of the unlikely friendship between a busy executive and a disadvantage young boy, and how both of their lives changed forever

I love true stories and this is a wonderful one. Two people from different backgrounds, social standings and ages are brought together under unusual circumstances that ended up changing each others lives forever in ways they could never have foreseen... Not your typical love story, but a story of love.. Absolutely worth the listen/read.. The very last words of the story brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my heart..

Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island

In this story of perseverance in the face of adversity, Regina Calcaterra recounts her childhood in foster care and on the streets and how she and her savvy crew of homeless siblings managed to survive years of homelessness, abandonment, and abuse. Regina Calcaterra's emotionally powerful memoir reveals how she endured a series of foster homes and intermittent homelessness in the shadow of the Hamptons, and how she rose above her past while fighting to keep her brother and three sisters together.

I think everyone has hardships they've lived through, many at the hands of their parents and family, but this family of children went through unthinkable hardships because of their abusive mother... It's amazing hearing what the kids figured out they had to do to survive, but even more amazing to know how far they all went in life and what they accomplished, especially the author, Regina Calcaterra... Enjoyed this book very much.. I hope it spurs some loving people into thinking about becoming foster care parents.. I have always heard that there is abuse among foster care, which is just so sad and unfortunate.. Foster care needs parents who really, really do care about children...

Return to Life: Extraordinary Cases of Children Who Remember Past Lives

A first-person account of Jim Tucker's experiences with a number of extraordinary children with memories of past lives, Return to Life focuses mostly on American cases, presenting each family's story and describing his investigation. His goal is to determine what happened-what the child has said, how the parents have reacted, whether the child's statements match the life of a particular deceased person, and whether the child could have learned such information through normal means.

The first part of this book is about children who seem to be having memories from a past life.. I find that kind of thing fascinating,and the stories are very well told, giving the listener/reader a complete picture of how steps were taken to try to prove or disprove information given by these children. Towards the end of the book the author goes into detail about quantum leaps, the proof that time is not real, everything is energy, etc., all of which are very fascinating, and are given as a way to try and prove why it's possible that these children are remembering past lives, or dreams.. However, I didn't want to listen to a book about that subject. I've listened to many of them before, and admitingly, most of it is above my ability to grasp the theory. Because of that, I knocked off a star for overall.. I wanted to be entertained, not to have to engage my brain to try and figure out these incredibly complicated theories. I didn't enjoy that part of the book but the rest was very fascinating...

Secrets in the Cellar: The True Story of the Austrian Incest Case That Shocked the World

Josef Fritzl was a 73-year-old retired engineer in Austria. He seemed to be living a normal life with his wife, Rosemarie, and their family - though one daughter, Elisabeth, had decades earlier been "lost" to a religious cult. Throughout the years, three of Elisabeth's children mysteriously appeared on the Fritzls' doorstep; Josef and Rosemarie raised them as their own. But only Josef knew the truth about Elisabeth's disappearance.... For 27 years, Josef had imprisoned and molested Elisabeth in his man-made basement dungeon.

I love true stories, which is how I found this book. I don't remember ever hearing about this story in the news, but it sounds like it was a nationwide story.. It is a terrible subject, absolutely horrible what this woman and her children went through, but it is very well written, giving the listener a very clear idea of what is going on. I actually don't like knowing things like this even go on in our world, and after the first part of the book, I had decided I didn't want this horror in my mind, but after a few days, I had to listen to more to make sure Elizabeth survived.. She did/does survive, but the horrors her father put her through are unimaginable..

At the end of the book, a psychiatrist explains why he thinks this man did what he did. He isn't justifying it, just giving a psychiatric evaluation. I think that part is fascinating.. A lot of people would, and I'm sure do, just refer to his man's actions as being evil, but saying someone is evil is not a real explanation of why people do the things they do.. Everything has a reason, a cause, something turns something in a persons head to make them do the such horrific things..

Would I recommend this book to others? No, I wouldn't... It is very well written, but like I said, the subject matter is horrible...But if you don't mind this kind of thing being in your mind, and you enjoy true stories, then you will like this one.. I can't say anyone would enjoy this book.. Who would enjoy knowing this went on? But it is very well told...If I had heard about this story in the news years ago, and knew what it was about, I probably would not have purchased it..

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